Holistic tools

How to slow down your monkey mind by activating the direct experience network in your brain.

By Nicole Urdang | April 2, 2022
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Neuroscientist Dr. Karolien Notebaert has a wonderful talk on the Insight Timer app that beautifully describes the difference between the default mode network (DMN) and the direct experience network (DEN). You can find it here: https://insig.ht/tz48w6Rowob. In short, the default mode network shows up when the brain is not engaged in a task. It roams through […]

What is Bilateral Stimulation and How Can it Help You?

By Nicole Urdang | November 4, 2019
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Bilateral Stimulation (BLS) is nothing new. Yogis have been doing it through the meditative practice of Yoga Nidra for thousands of years. Qigong incorporates it into almost all their routines. Bilateral Stimulation refers to any activity that channels your attention from one brain hemisphere to the other. In EMDR this is typically done by tapping […]

Breathing: 10 Breaths to Create Joy

By Nicole Urdang | February 16, 2015
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Humans needed to survive in harsh conditions since our earliest cave dwelling days. As a result, our brains got very good at sensing danger. If we had a traumatic event, or even a close call, we had to learn from one experience to avoid those situations and any that looked like them in the future. […]

Self-Soothing

By Nicole Urdang | February 18, 2014
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Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional. Haruki Murakami If you grew up in a family where there was little nurturing, or unpredictable nurturing, especially during the first 18 months of life, you may have a difficult time self-soothing. Alternatively, if you were lucky enough to have had parents, or any caregiver, who was adept at […]

Manifesto II: How To Write Yours

By Nicole Urdang | June 24, 2011
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Manifesto: a public declaration of intentions, opinions, objectives, or motives. As a long-time yogi, I have been setting an intention before my daily practice for over ten years. Perhaps, it was this habit that prompted me to write my first manifesto in 2004. Gathering healing thoughts and wishes into one short document was enlightening, centering, […]

It’s OK Sweetheart: Learn to Cherish and Calm Your Sweet Self

By Nicole Urdang | November 25, 2010
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In America everyone is indoctrinated to believe that doing well ensures a good life. Certainly, it’s satisfying to succeed, whether at work, school, relationships, sports, or anything else, but even if you do everything according to society’s plan, there is no guarantee life will be peachy. At various times you may find yourself facing unexpected […]